Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise pursuant to Standing Order 36(6) to present several petitions.
First, I would like to present a petition on behalf of 45 residents of Quebec who bring to the attention of the House the appointment of Mr. Yvon Charbonneau as Canada's ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.
The petitioners point out that Mr. Charbonneau is a man who has expressed anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli and anti-American views and they believe that Parliament should therefore urge the Prime Minister to immediately withdraw Mr. Charbonneau's appointment as our ambassador to UNESCO and to articulate a clean and unambiguous message that anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-U.S. comments do not reflect the policies or the views of the Government of Canada.
I would also like to table a petition signed by some 42 residents of Ontario calling upon the government to withdraw Yvon Charbonneau from his position as the ambassador to UNESCO because of his record of anti-American, anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli comments.
I would further like to table a petition signed by some 42 residents of Toronto calling upon the government to withdraw Mr. Charbonneau from his position as ambassador to UNESCO for the same reasons.
I have another petition signed by some 40 residents of Alberta calling upon the government to withdraw the appointment of Mr. Charbonneau to UNESCO because of his outrageous and odious remarks.